Yamine Lamal could be in line to make his Barcelona debut on Wednesday when Spain's champions-elect play Rayo Vallecano away.
Lamal, born in Spain to a Moroccan father and mother from Equatorial Guinea, does not turn 16 until July but was named on the bench by Barca boss Xavi for Sunday's 1-0 La Liga win over Atletico Madrid.
Here we take a look at the youngest players to play for the Catalan giants.
Mario Rosas – 17 years
Current Barcelona boss Xavi described Rosas as a hybrid between Michael Laudrup and Lionel Messi. The hyperbole didn't stop there, with Xavi, one of the greatest midfielders of any era, telling French football magazine So Foot: "If you saw how he played at 15, 16 or 17, you would say, ‘When this guy makes the first team, the Camp Nou will hallucinate.’
A graduate of the club's fabled la Masia academy, Rosas made his one and only Barca appearance, on the final day of the 1997/98 campaign against Salamanca, but was hooked at half time by coach Louis van Gaal and the Spanish champions went on to lose 4-1.
Alejandro Balde – 17 years
Born in Barcelona to a Guinean father and a Dominican mother, Balde joined the club's youth ranks in 2011 at the age of eight. Groomed as Jordi Alba's long-term replacement at left-back, Balde made his first-team debut as a substitute in a 3-0 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich on September 14, 2021, age 17 years, 331 days. Six days later he made his La Liga debut against Granada.
Adama Traore – 17 years
Traore was born in just outside Barcelona in L'Hospitalet to Malian parents and joined the club he supported age eight. After starring for Barcelona's B team, the winger was handed his first-team debut in a 4-0 home win over Granada, replacing Neymar no less, on November 22, 2013 at age 17.
He was sold to Aston Villa age 19 after making four Barca appearances before making his name in England with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Traore returned to Barcelona for a loan spell last season but failed to earn a permanent move and is now back at Molineux.
Pedri – 17 years
Already Las Palmas' youngest scorer – aged 16 years, nine months and 23 days – midfielder Pedri officially signed for Barcelona in July 2020 for an initial €5 million fee. He made his first-team debut as a substitute in a 4-0 thrashing of Villarreal on September 27, 2020, almost two months before he turned 18.
Gerard Deulofeu – 17 years
A player with an almost impossibly-hard-to-spell surname debuted for Barca as a prodigious 17-year-old on October 29, 2011, replacing Cesc Fabregas in a 5-0 win over Mallorca at Camp Nou.
The wispy winger had mixed success on loan at Everton and Sevilla before a more productive spell at AC Milan prompted Barcelona to re-sign him in 2017. He added to his two previous Barca appearances with 10 more outings in 2017/18 before being sold to Watford.
Oriol Riera – 17 years
On December 17, 2003, Riera fulfilled a lifelong dream by appearing as a substitute for Barca's first team in a Copa del Rey win away at Murcia. It would be the striker's only senior appearance for the Catalan giants, aged 17 years, five months and 14 days.
Nano – 17 years
The winger made four appearances for Barcelona before being sold on to Atletico Madrid and then spending the remainder of his career in and out of Spain's second division. He debuted against Real Zaragoza in the 1999/2000 campaign.
Lionel Messi – 17 years
On October 16, 2003 the world would get its first official look at a player who would go on to be arguably the greatest of all time. Barca boss Frank Rijkaard summoned Lionel Messi – at a tender 17 years, three months, and 22 days old – from the bench during a Liga match against Espanyol.
At the time Messi was at the time the youngest player to represent Barcelona in an official competition, and would go on to become the club's all-time top scorer and one of its most decorated players before leaving to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
Marc Muniesa – 17 years
The defender made his debut for Barca's first team aged 17 years and 57 days on May 23, 2009 as a substitute in a 1–0 La Liga home loss against Osasuna. He now plays in Qatar having spent five years at Stoke City and two at Girona.
Gavi – 17 years
Pedri's partner in crime in this current Barcelona midfield and one of the best youth products to emerge from la Masia in many years.
Gavi has established himself as a mainstay for Barca boss Xavi and one of Spain's most promising players since making his debut in August 2021 aged 17 years and 24 days in a 2-1 victory over Getafe.
Bojan Krkic – 17 years
It's hard to believe but Krkic's arrival in the Barca first team garnered the same sort of fanfare as Messi's having bagged a rumoured 900 goals for Barca's youth sides.
He made his official debut on September 16, 2007 as a 78th-minute substitute against Osasuna, aged 17 years and 19 days. The expectation placed on Krkic as the 'new Messi' proved impossible to live up to, though, and a nomadic career saw him take in stints at AC Milan, Stoke City, Montreal Impact and Vissel Kobe, among others.
Ansu Fati – 16 years
If Krkic failed to live up to expectations, one player who exceeded it early on in his career was Ansu Fati.
On August 31, 2019, a week after making his senior La Liga debut for Barcelona as a late replacement against Real Betis, Fati scored his first Barca goal in a 2–2 away draw bat Osasuna.
Aged 16 years and 304 days, the Spaniard became Barcelona's youngest goalscorer and the third-youngest scorer in the history of La Liga.
Vicenc Martinez – 16 years
The player who holds the accolade as Barcelona's youngest player is defender Vicenec Martinez, who in October 1941 made his bow at the age of 16 years, 10 months and five days in a 4-3 defeat to bitter rivals Real Madrid.
EXPATS
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The five pillars of Islam
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041mm%2C%20352%20x%20430%3B%2045mm%2C%20396%20x%20484%3B%20Retina%20LTPO%20OLED%2C%20up%20to%201000%20nits%2C%20always-on%3B%20Ion-X%20glass%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20S8%2C%20W3%20wireless%2C%20U1%20ultra-wideband%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECapacity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2032GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20watchOS%209%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EHealth%20metrics%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203rd-gen%20heart%20rate%20sensor%2C%20temperature%20sensing%2C%20ECG%2C%20blood%20oxygen%2C%20workouts%2C%20fall%2Fcrash%20detection%3B%20emergency%20SOS%2C%20international%20emergency%20calling%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GPS%2FGPS%20%2B%20cellular%3B%20Wi-Fi%2C%20LTE%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%2C%20NFC%20(Apple%20Pay)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDurability%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20IP6X%2C%20water%20resistant%20up%20to%2050m%2C%20dust%20resistant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20308mAh%20Li-ion%2C%20up%20to%2018h%2C%20wireless%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECards%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20eSIM%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinishes%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Aluminium%20%E2%80%93%20midnight%2C%20Product%20Red%2C%20silver%2C%20starlight%3B%20stainless%20steel%20%E2%80%93%20gold%2C%20graphite%2C%20silver%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Watch%20Series%208%2C%20magnetic-to-USB-C%20charging%20cable%2C%20band%2Floop%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Starts%20at%20Dh1%2C599%20(41mm)%20%2F%20Dh1%2C999%20(45mm)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The five pillars of Islam
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:
Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')
Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
